Life Goes on...But it's Not the Same
by Jordyn Blake
Summary: Formerly 'The Journal', but I decided this name fits better. *Ch.2 up*
1. Prologue

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything. In a Heartbeat belongs to Disney and whoever else owns it. I'm only putting this on this chapter, but I'll put it on other stories. 

A/N: 8) PLEASE review! But please don't flame 8( Okay? Fine. I'll shut up and star writing. 8I ß me shut up. 8) 

"Can I sit here?"

Jamie nodded, but he didn't look up. 

"So." Val let the syllable hang in the air for a second. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Jamie shook his head.

"Neither do I, really."

Jamie was silent.

"It might not be any consolation, but I think you need to read this," Val said, handing him the piece of paper. It was torn from a diary, dated a few days before. 

I can't go on. It's too hard. Nobody understands. Val and Jamie try had, but Jamie has his own problems and Val is, well, Val's Val. 

God, I love Jamie. He always tries so hard. Maybe not in school or as an EMT, but he tries when it matters. Like with Brianne. Jamie doesn't know how great I think he is. He means so much to me. He doesn't deserve the crap life that he has. I mean, if I really think about it, even though he's a year younger, James Michael Waite is my hero. 

I want Val to know that she was always the sister I didn't have. Growing up with eight brothers was hard. When I needed to talk to someone, she was there. And if she wasn't, Jamie was. It all comes back to Jamie. But I'm trying to focus on Val. Val's great. She's not the stereotypical cheerleader that everyone thinks she is. She and I are complete opposites, so even though she wants to, she couldn't ever understand me.

I want Val to have this.

Jamie folded the paper and handed it back to Val. 

"Where's Tyler?" Jamie asked.

"Out of town."

"And Hank?"

"Didn't come."

"Really? I guess that makes sense. He and Caitie never got along."

"Hank never insulted her, though. He was scared of what she'd do to him."

"Damn it," Jamie cursed, standing up. "Why the hell'd this have to happen?" Jamie could feel the start of an asthma attack coming on, so he sat back down. As he breathed from his inhaler, he could hear Val talk.

"You've heard the saying. Only the good die young."

A/N: OK, sorry that was. This chapter was more of a prologue than anything, so I hope it will get better later. 8)

  



	2. Remembering

A/N: Please review. Don't flame! * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * indicates a flashback and the end of one; /\/\/\/\ indicates a change in setting.

Jamie Waite had forgotten what it felt like to be on the ice. He hadn't actually skated for three years. The entire time he'd known Caitie. He had drifted away from hockey; been too busy for it. Between EMT work, Caitie, school, and trying to stay away from his house, Jamie hadn't had any time to play. He was getting on with his life. He knew that's what Caitie would have wanted.

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"Hockey player?" the girl asked. 

"What's it look like?" thirteen-year-old Jamie replied.

"Stick, black skates, hockey jersey. Um…I'll let you decide," she said sarcastically.

"Whatever. I have practice," said Jamie as he began to skate off to one side of the ice.

"As do I." She skated to the other.

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After his hockey practice, Jamie was sitting on a bench in the locker area, taking his skates off. He noticed the same girl that he had talked to earlier walking toward him. 

"Hey," she said as she sat down on the other side of the bench. "How'd your practice go?"

"All right. Yours?" He asked, prompting her to speak. 

"Pretty good, actually. I had to practice late because I'm training for a competition."

"Want to race?" asked Jamie, as he began to re-lace his skates. 

"Sure. Bring it on."

The two got on the ice. 

"One lap," the girl declared. "No touching the guard rail, no intentionally running people over, and no cutting across the ice. Ready?"

The two began to race, each skating quickly. The girl finished shortly before Jamie did, and when he arrived, he was coughing and wheezing. 

"Are you okay?"

He was able to gasp out his locker number and combination, and she got the hint. She walked away as quickly as she could in her skates, returned, and handed Jamie his inhaler. She left.

As soon as he could breathe again, Jamie put up his skating equipment and went to the diner across the street. He got an orange smoothie and sat down.

"Hey, it's Hockey Boy," commented a girl that had just entered the diner.

"It's Jamie," he stated.

"Jamie. I like that. I need to order." She walked off. Jamie got up to follow her. After all, he didn't know her name yet.

"You didn't have to follow me," the girl said.

"I didn't," Jamie lied. "I wanted to get some food."

They ended up sitting at the same table and talking for over an hour about all kinds of things. Jamie even learned her name: Caitie.

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I swear, Val will do everything in her power to piss me off. She had to go and try out for the cheerleading squad, and now she wants me to. And she has to date Tyler Connell, AND she has to hate Jamie. 

Val slammed the diary shut. She had heard footsteps coming down the hall, and she only wanted herself and Jamie to see the pages. 

"Hey." Val was relieved to hear Tyler's voice instead of Brooke's. 

"How was your trip?"

"Boring. I mostly watched movies while William and my mom went to meetings. How has your spring been?"

"Didn't you hear?" Val asked.

"Hear what?" 

"About Caitie."

"No…this is the first place I've been other than my house. Is it bad?"

"Tyler, she…" Val tried to finish. "…She committed suicide."

"Why didn't you call? I would have flown back to be with you." Tyler meant it.

"Jamie was there. No offence, but I think he knew what I felt better than you could have."

"Here." Tyler handed Val an audiotape. "Listen to it. I have to go finish unpacking." With that, Tyler left.

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Jamie heard a knock on the door. Fearing the worst, he reluctantly opened it. 

"Jaaaaaaaammmmmmmmiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" the girl on the other side screamed, flinging her arms around his neck. "Told ya I was coming, didn't I?" she asked after she had released him. Jamie didn't have to guess who she was. The black hair with blue highlights gave it away. It was his cousin Kit James, one of the only people in his family that he even rarely got along with. A tall, blond man who was about twenty years old stood at the door. Jamie had to learn to deal with the harsh reality. Peter Waite was home.


	3. Games

A/N: PLEASE read and review…don't flame…PLEASE. 

"It isn't actually that bad having Peter and Kit around," Jamie said. 

"Really? I thought you hated your family," Hank Beecham asked.

"Really. Kit only stayed with us for like two days, and then her parents came, so now she lives with them, but she and Peter stole and hid my father's house key, and they locked him out. They say that they aren't going to let him in when he's drunk."

"That _was _fun, wasn't it?" 

Jamie, not realizing what had been said, or who said it, replied, "Yeah." Then, realizing Kit was in the room, "Hey! What are you doing here?" 

"Well, I've been trained for a while, but I never actually got out and joined a squad. This place said they wanted a fifth teenager, so I came and got on. Problem?" She asked.

"Do you want me to be honest or do you want me to lie to you? It's almost spring, and you've just saved me from getting in a lot of trouble with Alex. I about owe you my life." 

Hank interrupted their conversation. "Before I'll let you go on a call, you have to wash that pink stuff out of your hair."

"Alex doesn't have a problem with it. My hair was green when I met him. And it was blue when I came back to Kingsport." Kit argued.

"Whatever you say…."

"Wanna play truth or dare?" Kit offered.

"Yeah/Sure, why not?/Nah…I don't really want to/C'mon Tyler, it'll be fun." Jamie, Val, and Tyler all answered at the same time.

"Hank?" Kit asked, looking at him. Her choppy pink and black hair swirled around her head as she turned. 

"You can. One of us needs to behave professionally."

"Is he always this way?" Kit asked, her blue eyes lit up with laughter. 

"Yes, I am."

Kit burst out laughing. "Sorry. I just don't spend much time with serious people. Let's start. Jamie first."

Jamie thought for a second. "Hank, truth or dare?" 

"I told you, I'm not playing."

"Fine, then. I dare you to play."

"Not playing."

"Tyler, truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"If you could go out with any celebrity, who would it be?" Jamie asked. He knew it was a stupid question, but he also knew that if Tyler said Britney Spears or Christina Aguilera, Val would kill him.

"Britney Spears."

"Ack! Tyler!" Val exclaimed.

"Hey, it's not my fault she's hot."

"I'm going to do the loving girlfriend thing and only kill you once. Okay?" Val made the question seem innocent.

"Fine. Val." 

"Dare."

"Play that tape I gave you the other day."

"Now?"

"Now."

Val put it into the tape player.

Tyler's voice came on. "Hi, Val. Remember that I told you I was bored on the entire trip? I made this tape while I was doing nothing. Listen carefully." Val hit pause. "Are you sure? It sounds embarrassing for you."

Val hit play again, and everyone heard Tyler's imitation of the Long John Silver's shrimp.

"Ha! Now you can't kill me," Tyler teased. Val hit stop; it was unnecessary to torture Tyler any more.

"Jamie," Val chose her victim.

"Dare."

"I dare you to pour this pixy stick in your hair and wear it that way," said Val, handing him a giant orange pixy stick. Val knew how much Jamie loved his hair.

  
"Kit, truth or dare?"

"Dare."

"I dare you to make out with the big monkey in the corner."

Kit glanced at the corner of the room and saw a big stuffed orangutan. "Okay. For how long?"

"One entire minute."

Kit completed the dare. "That was interesting," she announced when she was finished.

"Oh, good. My turn. Val."

"Dare."

Kit thought for a second. Val Lanier, cheerleader, probably semi-snobby, blonde, definitely a happy bubble person.

"You laughed for the first time in a long time when you heard Tyler's shrimp song."

"Yeah. So?"

"You're reading Caitie's diary."

"What's the dare already?"

"Come to a rave with me."

"Um, Kit……" Val let it hang.

"Not like that, stupid," Kit said, throwing a handful of popcorn at Val. "I have a boyfriend."

"Oops."

  



End file.
